


Beginning

by ThatsrightZoeyeyye



Series: NaNoWriMo 2019 (but i'm cheating a little bit) [3]
Category: Firebringer - Team StarKid, StarKid Productions RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Modern Era, and now we're here, disclaimer: it's not my idea, enjoy i guess, i just had a weirdass dream, i posted the first part today, i'm not responsible for this, the rest should be here before friday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-23 10:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20338633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatsrightZoeyeyye/pseuds/ThatsrightZoeyeyye
Summary: To Jemilla, the library was like a second home. The thin building, squeezed between two larger shops, spread over three floors. The old floorboards, the spiral staircases, the dimly lit rooms filled with countless bookshelves. She could go through it with her eyes closed.-When they entered the building, Zazzalil immediately fell in love with the wooden shelves, illuminated by the sunlight pouring through the round windows. She directed her gaze to the counter, and stopped in her tracks.-She was gorgeous.Fuck, Jemilla thought.Fuck, Zazzalil thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starkid writes discord](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=starkid+writes+discord).

> Prompt is "beginning", from the StarKid Writes discord. I decided I'd follow it to write the Jazzalil adaptation of a weird dream I had a few weeks ago. In a way, it is the beginning of something new. I guess.  
I wanted to post the beginning of this fic as a separate chapter, but fear not, the next couple thousand words should be here by Friday, and will conclude this short weird idea I had. Enjoy!

To Jemilla, the library was like a second home. The thin building, squeezed between two larger shops, spread over three floors. The old floorboards, the spiral staircases, the dimly lit rooms filled with countless bookshelves. She could go through it with her eyes closed.

When she was a child, she would go there everyday, after school. Her parents worked late, and she was afraid to be home alone. Soon, she came on week-ends, then during the holidays, curled up in one of the old armchairs with a book, or sitting at one of the small tables doing homework. It felt like home.

The summer after she graduated high school, the owners offered her to work for them. She accepted. Jemilla remembered those long summer days, sitting behind the counter, worrying about college. She was no longer a child, she was eighteen. Soon, she would leave and start her real life.

Her college was far away, and she missed the library during those long months. She came back every summer to work there.

The summer after she graduated college, the owners offered her to keep working for them until she found another job. She accepted. It would be the start of long summer days, maybe autumn, winter. She didn't know when she would get a job. She was rather afraid. She was no longer a child, she was twenty-three. Soon, she would leave and start her _real_ life.

On the first day, she sat behind the counter, a book open on her lap. Next to her, Emberly, her childhood friend, was texting her boyfriend. She had gotten a job in a restaurant on week-ends, and worked in the library on week days. She wasn't a world-famous chef yet, but she had time for that.

Jemilla heard the familiar sound of the door being pushed open, of the tiny bell ringing cheerfully, of the floorboards creaking. She looked up.

Two women walked in. They seemed about her age. One of them was tall, with blonde hair tied up in two lose buns, and a friendly face. She was pretty, and looked like the kind of person who would always stay by your side. Jemilla was pretty sure she'd seen her before.

The other one, however, was something else. She was unbelievably tiny, but she stood straight, and radiated a strong energy that made her seem taller that actually was. Her wavy chestnut hair flowed around her face and down her shoulders. Her eyes glowed with a fierce fire, reflected in a large smile. She talked fast, moving her arms as she did. She was gorgeous.

_Fuck_, Jemilla thought.

* * *

Zazzalil had never been happier.

When her parents told her they were moving, _again_, she thought they would find a new shitty big city, _again_, get a shitty apartment in a loud neighborhood, again, and move away as soon as her parents got bored, _again_. They had managed to move only once throughout all of her five years of college, which was a small miracle.

It turned out that she was mistaken. When she got out of the car after the nine-hour drive, she was standing in the middle of a small neighborhood, filled with tiny brick houses with small front lawns and flowers everywhere. It was the first time her parents owned a house. Her bedroom, upstairs, had a window to the street, and the sunlight flooded the room. A smile spread on her face.

The best news, and the more unexpected, was that she had moved in Keeri's town.

Zazzalil had met Keeri on the internet, years ago. They had been best friends all through high school and college, and the distance had never impacted their friendship. This didn't make them any less happy when they met in real life for the first time, in the tiny park of their tiny town. Keeri jumped in Zazzalil's arms, and they hugged for what felt like hours.

They visited the city: the historic town hall building, the old cobbled streets, the fountain. Finally, Keeri led her friend to the town library. She didn't particularly like to read, but she knew the shorter girl loved books.

When they entered the building, Zazzalil immediately fell in love with the wooden shelves, illuminated by the sunlight pouring through the round windows. She directed her gaze to the counter, and stopped in her tracks.

Behind the old computer, a woman with long dark hair looked up from her phone, adjusting her glasses. Zazzalil didn't really notice her. Her eyes were drawn to the other woman, who seemed about her age, looking back at her with beautiful brown eyes. Short curly hair circled her face. She was wearing a blue crop top, and Zazzalil briefly registered that blue really was her color. She was gorgeous.

_Fuck_, Zazzalil thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For information: Jemilla and Zazzalil are the ones completely ignoring Keeri and Emberly's looks. Not me. All the StarKid gals are absolutely gorgeous, and Denise and Rachel are no exception.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Fuck.” she said out loud.  
“Fuck off.” she grunted as an answer.  
“WHAT?” her parents exclaimed  
-  
Watch me copy-paste random sentences to make you read my stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've already written chapter 2. Guess who should have been finishing up her History essay. Guess who didn't.  
I think this story is just going to be the writing equivalent of shit-posting. I'll just write tiny bit by tiny bit without making any consistant chapter, get ready.

Jemilla sat straighter and tried to clear her thoughts as the two girls briskly walked up the stairs, after a quick 'hello'.

“Fuck.” she said out loud.

Emberly was looking at her, a smug smile plastered across her face.

“So when's the wedding?” she asked.

“I am not crushing on the first straight girl to enter the library. This is not happening.” Jemilla answered, her voice flat as she picked up her book.

“That girl was definitely gay.” Emberly stood up, walking toward her friend. “Have you seen her? High waisted cuffed jeans, random t-shirt, flannel tied around her waist in the middle of the summer, denim jacket. She's a cliché, Jemilla.”

“That's not proof, Emberly. And even if she's not straight, she's probably dating the other girl.”

“Be more optimistic! All you need to do now is make sure she knows you're bi, at least that you like girls.”

“Oh no, Emberly,” Jemilla interrupted her. “I am not going to try to date her. I am going to do my job and forget that she exists.”

Emberly sighed and dropped in her chair dramatically.

* * *

Zazzalil was pretty sure she had managed to look somewhat normal while saying hello, probably too loudly, to the women at the counter. She had dragged Keeri up the stairs and rested (slammed) her head against a wall as soon as they had reached the upper floor.

“I am doomed, Keeri.” she announced in a dramatic voice.

“You said the same thing a few month ago when you met that Clark guy,” Keeri reminded her. “and it turned out to be a one-night crush. Should I show you all the messages you sent me on three different social medias?”

“It wasn't the same, Keeri. Please never bring him up ever again, I'm still friends with his girlfriend, I don't want them to hear about that.”

“And it's not the same with the cute girl at the counter?” she asked. “Zazzalil, did you just _swoon_ when I mentioned her?”

“Fuck off.” she grunted as an answer.

“Okay,” Keeri laughed. “We need to make sure she knows you're gay first. Then, I'm going to make sure you grow old together.”

* * *

When they came back to the counter, Jemilla was more composed.

“Hi,” the maybe-gay-girl breathed out, setting a small pile of books on the counter. “I'd like to make a library card, and borrow this books with it.”

“Sure!” Jemilla smiled. “You'll just need to fill this paper.”

She watched intently as the other girl wrote her information in a messy, still beautiful handwriting. Emberly made the card, and scanned the books.

“Would you like to register too?” she asked the blonde girl.

“No, thank you. My boyfriend already made me a card in a library in the city.”

“Okay.”

Once the most-likely-gay girl and her not-girlfriend-apparently were out of the door, Jemilla turned to her friend, to find her staring intently at her, grinning.

“The Price of Salt, The Well of Loneliness, and Dykes To Watch Out For.” she said. “Jemilla, these are some of the ultimate lesbian books. What more do you need?”

“Okay, so she is gay. But that doesn't mean she likes me.”

“Gurl.” Emberly said in an exaggerated mock tone, picking up the paper the absolutely-gay had signed. “She gave you her phone number.”

“It's a necessary requirement for the library. For all we know she gave _you_ her phone number. Or Molag. She's the one who owns the store. Maybe she wants to date _her._”

Emberly laughed as Jemilla picked up her book and turned her back to her. The dark-haired girl quietly took her friend's phone and entered the phone number in her contacts, under 'Zazzalil <3'. She put the phone down and smiled to herself.

* * *

“What's that boyfriend story, Keeri? You're aromantic.” Zazzalil asked, confused, the second they were out of the door.

“Now she knows we're not dating,” Keeri answered simply. “They don't need to know I'm aro just yet. Today'll make a fun story to tell your kids. And with the books, she knows you're gay. Now she's free to develop strong feelings for you.”

After a minute, she added. “I didn't make up the story about the card in the city's library, though. My grandmother got me one.”

“Keeri, you are hopeless.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

Once she was back home, Zazzalil set her books down on the dinner table. The house felt hommier, after her parents had spent the day arranging the furniture and emptying boxes. She smiled to herself, happy that she had escaped this chore.

“Did you have a nice day, sweetie?” her mother asked.

“So I met my internet friend today.”

“Internet friend?” her father shouted. “You know you can't trust these, Zazzalil. What were you thinking?”

“What if they had tried to hurt you?” her mother added. “People on the internet are not what they seem.”

Zazzalil sighed.

“I know. Which is why I was careful not to give her important information at first. But it's been nearly ten years now, so I think I can trust her. And she's really nice! She gave me a tour of the town.”

“Ten years?” her father bellowed. “But you didn't have any social media until you were eighteen! We didn't let you have any before that. I know you only downloaded the snapchat then, and the instagram last year, and you don't have the facebook or that... blue bird media.”

“I've been on Tumblr since I was 13 and never told you about it.” she murmured.

She knew she had nothing to worry about. She was twenty-three, her parents weren't going to ground her or whatever. But she still felt that tinge of fear that had never left her since the first years, when she wasn't allowed to talk to strangers on the internet, but spent hours talking to Keeri and other people every day, that fear that her parents were going to find out, that they would find a way to keep her away from her friends.

“I also had an instagram account way before I downloaded the app.” she added. If her parents were going to be mad, it might as well be all in one strike.

“WHAT?” her parents exclaimed, sounding more counfused about it being possible than actually angry.

“Also, I'm gay.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Apples are obviously the superior fruit.” Zazzalil had claimed, to which Jemilla, offended, had answered “What about oranges?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waw, here's another itty bitty chapter where nothing happens. It'll be over soon, hang on.

If there was one thing Zazzalil hated, it was chores. She would do anything to escape them.

When she was nine years old, she had had to unload the entire dishwasher by herself, and her parents had said that her cousin didn't have to, because she was reading a book, and reading was important. Zazzalil was playing her favorite Mario game on her brand new nintendo DS, but apparently that could wait. She was furious.

So, stubborn as she was, she started reading. At first, it was to escape chores. Soon, she started to really enjoy it, getting lost in stories, filling her brain with thousands of words everyday.

Her parents had caught on after a few years, and now, it wasn't a good enough excuse. So on a hot summer day, when her parents started their second day of unpacking and cleaning and arranging things (they could do it for hours, it was unbelievable), Zazzalil fled to the library.

She just wanted to escape chores. It had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the cute girl who worked there.

And maybe she kept coming, every day, even when there were no chores.

The library was empty, most of the time, so she joined in the employee's conversations. The pretty one was Jemilla. (“Nice name”, she had said, and Jemilla's smile was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen). The other one, who was pretty as well, Zazzalil realized when she actually looked, was Emberly. After a week, she found a permanent job, and only came in the middle of the afternoon for a quick chat between lunch and dinner. They kept having silent fights, during which Jemilla kept glancing nervously at Zazzalil and Emberly kept giggling.

Jemilla and Zazzalil got along very well. It was strange, really, considering they argued more than really talked, but they always found some sort of compromise.

They talked about themselves (“Here are pictures of me with long straight hair and pigtails, from a few years ago,” Jemilla had said, showing her phone to Zazzalil. “I don't know what went through my mind.” Zazzalil had wondered how a grown woman could look that good with pigtails), their studies (“Who knew engineering students knew how to read?” Jemilla had remarked smugly. Zazzalil had gasped in mock offense, as had the middle-aged man who came to the counter at that exact moment), motorcycles (“Those things are terrifying!” Jemilla had remarked. “They are unsafe, they are loud, I do not want to ever get on one of these monsters at any point in my life.” Zazzalil had laughed. “I'm saving to buy one. I love them.” The look of horror on the short haired girl's face was priceless), and everything that went through their minds (“Apples are obviously the superior fruit.” Zazzalil had claimed, to which Jemilla, offended, had answered “What about oranges?”).

Needless to say, Zazzalil soon realized that her crush had gotten out of hand.

_Fuck_, she thought.

* * *

She was acting kind of like a stalker, Jemilla realized while she was reading the paper on which Zazzalil had written her information. It was for a good cause, though, probably, she guessed, maybe, she didn't really know. Ugh, she was definitely a creep.

Zazzalil's birthday was on August 23rd, just a few days later. She could buy her a present, right? It wasn't weird. They were friends, she thought. It was nothing to do with the fact that she was probably very in love with her. It was a friendship thing. Definitely. Nothing creepy here.

* * *

When she went to the library on August 23rd, Zazzalil was not expecting Jemilla to know it was her birthday.

“I saw it when I entered your information in the computer, and then I guess I remembered it?” Jemilla laughed nervously. “I have a good memory.”

“Well, thanks.” Zazzalil smiled.

“I also bought you a present.” she murmured, handing the shorter girl something wrapped in deep blue paper filled with silvery drawings. It was beautiful. Zazzalil didn't know what to say. She certainly was not expecting a present.

She unwrapped it, and found a book. _Obviously_, she thought.

The book was called “Eat the frog! 21 Great Ways To Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done In Less Time.” Zazzalil wasn't sure whether she ought to be upset or laugh.

“You said you were a procrastinator.” Jemilla explained. “I have to make you see how you're wrong, and turn you to the light side of the force.”

So Zazzalil laughed.

“That's never going to happen. I'm going to procrastinate until I die.” She looked up at the other girl, and a small smile made its way on her face. “But hey, thank for trying. It's really nice.”

“You're welcome.” Jemilla muttered, smiling shyly.

Zazzalil kind of wanted to propose to her right then and there. It was hard not to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zazzalil looked up at Jemilla. Jemilla looked back at Zazzalil.
> 
> She wished they were closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I'd be done by Friday, I didn't say which Friday.  
Sorry I didn't post this sooner. I thought I'd have time to finish this on Friday morning, but turns out planning a family reunion with 95 people takes more time than you'd think. But now everyone is gone, and I have some time (and shit tons of leftover food) on my hands.  
So here it is : the last chapter.

“Your book actually has some rather convincing arguments.” Zazzalil admitted to Jemilla the next day. She was sitting sideway on Emberly's chair, her legs resting over the armrest, the book on her lap. Jemilla, one leg tucked under her and the other boucing, was preparing her bullet journal for the month of September. She raised her head at the sound of the other girl's voice and smiled.

“See,” she chuckled, “one day you're going to end up making to-do lists and planning things.”

Zazzalil made a sound halfway between a laugh and a mock sigh.

“Dare to dream.”

The room stayed silent for a while. It was a particularly quiet day. The sun shone bright, but a cool wind blew, and most people went outside. Nobody had entered the library in hours. Zazzalil didn't dislike that.

She turned her head to look at Jemilla, who was concentrating on writing in a beautiful curly handwriting, her leg still bouncing, biting her lower lip. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, putting down a pen and taking a yellow pencil to decorate the letters. Zazzalil watched.

In the weeks they had spent together, Zazzalil had really grown attached to Jemilla. It wasn't just the obvious crush from the first day anymore, she had fallen in love with the way the girl talked, the way she moved, the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she acted around children. She loved making her laugh, she loved the conversations they had, when they talked about anything and everything.

She knew that it couldn't last forever. They were both searching for jobs, and once of them was hired, they wouldn't be able to spend six out of seven days together.

One interview that morning had gone really well, and it seemed they were inclined to hiring her. Zazzalil knew she would like that job.

Jemilla looked up and locked eyes with her. She smiled. Zazzalil smiled back. The taller girl raised her eyebrows, looking worried, as if to say “are you okay?”. Zazzalil nodded slightly, smiling a little wider.

She was in love, and she had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

* * *

The first time she had heard about bullet journals, Jemilla had loved the idea immediately. “To help you track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future.” It was perfect.

She had written about Zazzalil in it a little. She half wished the girl would read it, that she would know how she felt about her without actually having to _tell_ her. Having feelings was hard.

She had found a job. She would start a week later. She needed to ask Zazzalil out before it was too late. And she had no idea how to do that. In every relationship she had had in the past, the other person had asked her out, she had never had to do anything. But Zazzalil didn't seem like she was going to ask her out any time soon.

* * *

Zazzalil had gotten the job. She was starting on Monday. She needed to ask Jemilla out.

“Hey, wanna go to the cinema tonight?” she asked, trying to sound as casual as she could. “There's that movie I've been wanting to watch. I think you'd like it.”

Jemilla seemed taken aback for just a second, but she didn't let any particular emotion show, keeping her eyes to her book.

“Sure, why not.” she answered.

* * *

_Was it a date?_

Jemilla was anxiously early, Zazzalil would probably be fashionably late. It was torturing her. She had spent a whole half hour trying to figure out what to wear. It wasn't the kind of thing she usually did. She didn't worry about her appearance too much, so she just chose random clothes and put them in a neat pile in the bathroom every evening after checking the weather for the next day. The spontaneousness of the event might have prevented days of being anxious about it, but it made it even worse now that she was there.

She had finally chosen an ocean blue dress. It was both casually fancy and fancily casual, but Jemilla was worried that Zazzalil was going to find it either to fancy or too casual.

Now that she thought about it, Zazzalil probably never found anything too casual.

Jemilla winced, biting her lower nervously. Zazzalil would definitely find it too fancy. She should have just worn jeans.

One question still remained, driving her mad.

_Was it, or was it not, a date?_

* * *

Zazzalil had meant to be there on time, but it now seemed impossible. However she had managed to last 17 years of school, she didn't know.

She was walking fast, trying not to bump into people, clutching her phone as Maps told her to take a left, then right, then walk straight ahead, and she would reach her destination at 7.18. She knew she would be there before 7.10, but she should have been there at 7 o'clock.

She was already sweating. She had opted for some dark blue jeans, that looked somewhat fancy, and that she hadn't cuffed, so it looked fancier ; and a white top that showed off her shoulders. The material was soft, but really not good with sweat.

Zazzalil picked up the pace, and finally reached the cinema. Jemilla was already there, looking absolutely stunning in her dress. When she saw the other girl, she seemed to relax and smiled, waving at her.

“I'm really sorry,” Zazzalil said, “I was going to be here on time, but my father chose that moment to fuck shit up on his computer, and he wouldn't let me leave until I'd fixed it.”

“It's okay.” Jemilla breathed out.

“Shall we?” Zazzalil asked, opening the door for the other girl.

* * *

Jemilla's brain was screaming.

Zazzalil had invited her to the cinema, had opened all the doors for her, insisted on paying for the tickets, and had bought her popcorn. It had to be a date, right?

It wasn't a romantic movie, so it wasn't an obvious date, and it wasn't a scary movie, so she couldn't jump from fright and get closer to Zazzalil. None of the basic moves was possible.

They did have a good time, though, it was a very funny movie.

* * *

Once the movie was over, Jemilla had suggested they go eat at a place she liked.

“You're still new to the city, it's my duty to give you some sort of tour.”

They went to a small restaurant, tucked somewhere in an old street. It was far from being fancy, but their roasted chicken was delicious, Zazzalil had to admit. They didn't stay long, feeling unsafe in this dark street in the middle of nowhere. The shadows were huge, and they walked fast, staying close to the walls.

They felt safer once they reached Jemilla's house. They sat on a bench at the bus stop, catching their breath.

Zazzalil looked up at Jemilla. Jemilla looked back at Zazzalil.

She wished they were closer.

“I found a job.” she said finally, breaking the silence. “I'm starting Monday.”

Jemilla looked surprised.

“Really?” she asked. “Me too.”

They didn't say anything.

They stayed silent, looking at each other, breathing evenly, feeling unexpectedly calm.

She wanted to kiss Jemilla.

* * *

Zazzalil raised her hand and tucked a few strands of Jemilla's hair behind her ear. The other girl's breath caught in her throat.

She caught Zazzalil hand before she could take it back, and realized she had no idea what to with it. The smaller girl linked their fingers, and they both looked at their hands, unsure of how to go from there.

They looked up, staring in each other's eyes again.

And Zazzalil moved. Her free head went to the back of Jemilla's neck, and her mouth caught the other girl's lips.

For only a second, Jemilla was caught by surprise, but soon she kissed her back, bringing her hand in the other girl's hair.

They kissed almost hesitantly at first, but soon they unlinked their hands to bring their bodies closer. They were both sweaty, but they didn't care.

* * *

They ended up buying the library. Molag told them she was selling it, one Saturday afternoon, while Jemilla and Zazzalil were there with their children. Zazzalil was on the floor, reading a book in silly voices, and Molag had come to Jemilla, asking her to think about it.

It was more work than they thought, but their employees were great. Tiblyn was hard-working and kind. Smelly-Balls (they tried to call him by his real name in front of the children, but the nickname had caught on) was stubborn, and when there was issue he never stopped until he solved it. Ducker and Schwoopsie made the kids laugh. Chorn was smart.

Keeri came often. She kept bringing cookies, even though they tried to keep the food away from the books. Emberly traveled a lot, cooking in various renowned restaurant, writing recipe books. They had a copy of each of them in the food section of the library.

Their children were adorable. They also loved books. Jemilla and Zazzalil loved them. They also loved each other.

They were happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really improvised for this story, so it is a Mess. I hope you still like it :)  
Kudos and comments for our fav cave wives?

**Author's Note:**

> For information: Jemilla and Zazzalil are the ones completely ignoring Keeri and Rachel's looks. Not me. All the StarKid gals are absolutely gorgeous, and Denise and Rachel are no exception.


End file.
